This raid highlights the impunity of the Chinese government in its efforts to transform Christianity into a tool of the state. The Christians of China can feel safe nowhere in China. They cannot pray and worship our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ without fear anywhere. This threatens all the Christians of the country, including the tiny community of Orthodox Christians in China.
This is yet another instance in a very long series of the persecution of Christians in China by governing officials. This is unfortunately on the increase not only in China, but in all too many other nations around the world.
For previous ChristianPersecution.com coverage of the persecution of Christians in China, see here.
“CCP police arrest staff and students at Maizi Christian Music High School / Principal Xu unreachable for more than 60 hours,” China Aid, September 7, 2021:
(Harbin, Heilongjiang Province—September 09, 2021) At 8:30 am on September 4, more than 30 Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials, including SWAT officers, police officers, religious affairs bureau officials, and local school district administrators, raided Maizi Christian Music High School, and arrested all staff members and students present. Earlier at approximately 7:00 am, police officers stopped Principal Xu on the way to take his child to school. Officers transported Principal Xu to their police station and drove his child home to his mother.
Maizi Christian Music High School, dedicated to cultivating Christian musicians, with the purpose of training students to serve in Church worship teams, excels in teaching piano. One day prior to his arrest, Principal Xu told several teachers at school that police officers had called his landlord. Principal Xu advised them to get ready for “the test,” however, they did not appear to expect the test to take place the next morning.
During their raid of the music school, CCP authorities confiscated numerous school possessions, including pianos, computers, and documents. Police released all the students after detaining them for 24 hours. Officers have planned to interrogate staff one by one in the following days.
To date, no one at school has seen Principal Xu since the day before police raided the music school. As the students are all minors (under 18-years-old), some Christians worry if authorities will charge Mr. Xu with “Proselytizing minors in school.” The school has not yet retained a lawyer in the case….
